Danielle L Goldstein's 'Transience' Traces 14 Years of Hotel Room Self-Portraits

Danielle L Goldstein has published 'Transience' with Schilt Publishing & Gallery, a photographic project spanning fourteen years that began in an ancient hotel room in Seville, Spain. The book documents the artist's self-portraits in every hotel room she has stayed in, evolving from impersonal, ghosted images to intimate records including her husband, children, sister, and friends. Goldstein describes the work as a visual diary of her midlife, reflecting her marriage, separation in 2017, divorce during COVID-19, and subsequent recovery. The project started with strict rules—only photographing herself in an unrecognizable way—but gradually loosened to show her face and others. The photographs trace a journey through hotels and unfamiliar cities, becoming markers of time that intertwine travel, memory, and personal experience. Goldstein hopes the work offers solace to those facing challenges, noting that despite travel's ability to expose us to new cultures, we carry ourselves wherever we go.